Port Dundas 52yo – Diageo Special Releases 2017

From Blair Athol yesterday, we head into closed distillery territory for the remainder of the week as we conclude this year’s Diageo Special Releases reviews. The first of four releases from closed distilleries takes us to Port Dundas, which was situated on the north side of Glasgow. Established in 1811, it went on to become one of the founding distilleries of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1877, and by the time Alfred Barnard visited the distillery, it had become the largest distillery in Scotland. A loyal workhorse of the Diageo stable, it continued on until the 1970s when a bit of refurbishment saw a dark grains plant being built. More recently, the expansion of the Cameronbridge distillery in Fife meant that Port Dundas’ days were effectively numbered, and the distillery inevitably closed in 2010.

This Port Dundas bottling is the oldest ever expression included in the Special Releases; refill American oak hogsheads were filled in 1964 and bottled earlier this year at a whopping 52 years old. Looks like we’re starting this mini closed distillery tasting with a bang…

Finish: Quite long and gentle, with gentle woodspice, white chocolate and sweet oak.

Overall: Just beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. It’s little wonder that this is the first of this year’s Special Releases to have sold out at all the major retailers. Packed with tropical fruits and balanced with delicate woodspice. What a joy to taste. Head to the auction sites if you have the money to burn, it’s stunning. This Port Dundas has left tomorrow’s Convalmore with big shoes to fill.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 at 8:21 am and is filed under Reviews.
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